How do I know if my phone will work on the Public Mobile network?

[Lachlan_M]

Public Mobile works on following frequencies: 

• For 3G use (UMTS/HSPA): 850MHz/1900MHz bands
• For 4G/LTE use: 1700MHz/2100MHz bands
• For 4G/LTE use: 700 MHz band

Which means most of the 3G,4G HSPA/ LTE phones that are compatible with these frequencies will work on Public Mobile. If your phone is locked to specific carrier, you’ll have to get it unlocked. 

Phones compatible with Telus, Koodo, Bell, Virgin will work on Public Mobile network. All 3G, 4G phones from Rogers, Fido and ChatR are compatible and will work on the Public Mobile network. 

To verify if you phone will work on Public Mobile network click here 

[rajibborua]

Thanks Shazia and Luddite!

My phone is not worthy enough to factory unlock. I may try my sim with my friend' s koodo iphone 4s. If it works, then problem solved!

[Luddite]

@rajibborua As Shazia indicated your phone is almost certainly locked to Rogers. You can unlock it through Rogers or other providers such as http://protechparts.ca/products/rogers-fido-iphone-unlock-1-24hrs?variant=909087775, ($65) which I have used successfully twice.

You should also be aware that getting data set up on iPhone 4 cannot be done manually; likely you will need to use http://www.unlockit.co.nz/unlockit/ from your phone's browser.

If can afford it you could consider upgrading tp iPhone 5 or 5s from https://publicmobile.getorchard.com or https://www.getorchard.com

Good luck.

[Shazia_K]

Hello @rajibborua,

Can you confirm if your phone is unlocked? The IMEI verification link only confirms that the phone can be used on our network but you have to make sure the phone is unlocked. 

Can you confirm?

Thanks,

Shazia. 

[rajibborua]

Hi,

I wanted to use my Iphone 4 which was previously used by rogers sim. I checked my IMEI with PM's website which indicates that I can use my PM sim.

But My iphone does not get PM's network after inserting PM's sim.

Can you please suggest me what to do? 

[Martin]

Hi @srlawren,

You're welcome!

Cheers.

[srlawren]

Good hint, @Martin!  When shopping for myself, I personally look for phones that are compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile, since I use Roam Mobility when travelling in the US and it operates on the T-Mobile network. 

[Martin]

Hi @srlawren,

If you go to gsmarena.com, but not www.willmyphonework.net, see if the phone is AT&T compatible. If it is, it will work on PM's network.

FYI.

[srlawren]

Or if in doubt, ask here, and we can help.  The more specific you can be with a model number, the better.  I typically then go to gsmarena.com like Martin does, and look up the specs and compare it with what we know of the PM network.  There's several of us that can help you decide before you buy, if you like.

Some retailers, like Expansys.ca, include a grid below of the major carriers in Canada and whether a given phone works on those carriers for 3G, LTE, etc.  If you're shopping there, use the "Telus" row for compatibility with PM.

[Martin]

Hello,

Unfortunately, PM's IMEI checker has been known to give false positives.

My go-to sites to determine if a phone is compatible with PM's network are gsmarena.com and www.willmyphonework.net

FYI.

[tetrion27]

There is also a way for pm to verify your phone though its iem or emi number

[srlawren]

Sorry to muddy the waters, but I have one more you may wish to consider:

The Honor 5X (made by Huawei, makers of the Nexus 6P).

http://mobilesyrup.com/2016/02/05/huawei-has-no-plans-to-officially-launch-the-honor-5x-in-canada/

It's available in Canada, just slightly more than the Asus, and very capable.  Just a thought.  🙂

[srlawren]

Still an excellent choice!  🙂  Enjoy!

[DudetteSunny]

Thank you for the option 🙂

but since it doesn't ship to Canada that would be more difficult.

But it looks like an amazing phone, BLU has had an interesting lineup of phones but I have heard good things about the ASUS so will probably be buying this for now 🙂

[7789849803]

@srlawren Good to know! And that's a helluva price for a phone as neat as it is. Now if only we didn't have to drive across the border for it...

[srlawren]

@7789849803 as it's not my daily driver, I can't attest 100% to the stability, but I typically get calls from that uncle when he's having any technology issues (he calls me his IT guy--well I do work in IT but...ugh! hehe) and I don't really recall him having any troubles that weren't self-inflicted (due to his inexperience--his first Android phone moving from older BlackBerries that he also wasn't great at!). 

I can say that it is very close to stock android without a heavy skin or anything (aka touchwiz, etc).  They add a few useful things like double-tap to wake (should be stock, Google!), display colour calibration settings, and I forget what else but remember noticing a few things and thinking "this should be in stock android, why isn't it?".  Also very little to no bloatware out of the box, which I believe is an issue with the Asus.

That said, I'm not trying to sway anyone away from the Asus, it looks like a great unit and a great value too.  Just presenting another option. 

I can link a few reviews if anyone is curious, or you can of course google them yourself.  I seem to recall the typical sources (Android Authority, Android Central, Android Police, etc) all reviewing it and being pretty happy overall.

[7789849803]

@srlawren How's the firmware on that Blu One X phone? I'm always wary of trying out phones from new manufacturers, but Asus is a company that I've had consistently great experiences with. And they seem to be good at making firmware that's not as buggy as some of the other new entrants in this space.

[srlawren]

@DudetteSunny

I'm not sure how final you are on your decision to pick up that phone, but I thought I would offer you another alternative that I think is worth at least having a look at, the Blu Life One X late 2015 edition that came out in December. 

Why do I suggest looking at it?  It's slightly smaller than the Asus at 5.2" but has similar specs, great reviews (minus a few hiccups the main one being the speakerphone being a bit quiet and tiny but the Asus gets the same complaints), and is available from Amazon.com for $149 USD http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0189RMNTG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00.  Even at current exchange rates, that's only about $215 Canadian.  Now, this might only be an option for you if you live near the border as it seems they don't ship to Canada.

I myself bought one of these for my uncle for Christmas, and helped get him all set up on it, and it's a really great phone, especially for the price but I think it punches way beyond it's price class.  I had it shipped to a service I use in Blaine, Washington state.  This was a pretty economical way to go and it's a great phone, comes with a nice flip case with window, etc.  Something to at least consider.  In the end, of course, pick what you want!  🙂

[DudetteSunny]

@srlawren wrote:

---

@DudetteSunny wrote:

Hi I wanted to buy this phone

http://www.staples.ca/en/Asus-ZE551KL-15-3G16GN-SR-Zenfone2-Laser-GSM-Phone-5-5-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-...

Will it work on public mobile's network in Quebec, including data, calling and texts?

I'm not sure what the exact network bands are though..

---

@DudetteSunny that Asus really is an amazing value at $269 Canadian.  I think you're going to be quite happy with it!

---

Thank you 🙂

[DudetteSunny]

Thank you! 

I was already part of PM, but I am now changing phones so wasn't sure about what phones are compatible with my public mobile sim. 

[srlawren]

---

@DudetteSunny wrote:

Hi I wanted to buy this phone

http://www.staples.ca/en/Asus-ZE551KL-15-3G16GN-SR-Zenfone2-Laser-GSM-Phone-5-5-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-...

Will it work on public mobile's network in Quebec, including data, calling and texts?

I'm not sure what the exact network bands are though..

---

@DudetteSunny that Asus really is an amazing value at $269 Canadian.  I think you're going to be quite happy with it!

[7789849803]

Hi @DudetteSunny,

Welcome to the PM community! That phone will work on the PM network just fine. Both 3G as well as 4G will be fully supported...only on SIM1, however. SIM2 on that phone is 2G-only, so it will be useless to you.

Out of curiosity, how'd you hear about PM? What carrier are you with now, and what made you want to switch over?

[DudetteSunny]

Hi I wanted to buy this phone

http://www.staples.ca/en/Asus-ZE551KL-15-3G16GN-SR-Zenfone2-Laser-GSM-Phone-5-5-Qualcomm-Snapdragon-...

Will it work on public mobile's network in Quebec, including data, calling and texts?

I'm not sure what the exact network bands are though..

[Luddite]

@Riz Not sure why you would buy it from ebay in US $, when you can get one from Koodo or Telus that will work on PM?

[Riz]

Thank you @vrance @Martin

[Martin]

Hello,

The phone has all the frequencies necessary to function on Public Mobile's network, including 4G LTE-Advanced, which is 700 MHz (Band 17).

I hope that this has answered your question.

Cheers.

[vrance]

Hi @Riz, the 3G 850/1900 and LTE 1700/2100 (Band 4 AWS) will work in Public Mobile.

[Riz]

Hey I'm buying an unlocked phone online from Taiwan wondering if it would work. http://m.ebay.com/itm/New-Unlocked-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-5-SM-N9208-64GB-4G-LTE-Dual-Sim-Gold-Free-Shi...
The seller listed the following frequencies
3G : B1(2100), B2(1900), B5(850), B8(900)
　
3G TD-SCDMA : B34(2010), B39(1880)
　
4G FDD LTE: B1(2100), B2(1900), B3(1800), B4(AWS), B5(850), B7(2600), B8(900), B12(700), B17(700), B18(800), B19(800), B25(1900), B26(800), B28(700)
　
4G TDD LTE: B38(2600), B39(1900), B40(2300), B41(2500)

Thanks!!!

[hasni]

Thank you for reply, photo message work with the zte? thank you.

[deltatux]

---

@hasni wrote:

Hi, i want to buy this phone : http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_227746.html 

ZTE V5 3 Network:
2G: GSM 900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 1800/2100/2600MHz

i want to know if it's compatible with quebec public mobile please, thank you.

---

@hasni, should work but do note that those LTE bands are not for North America, so you will not be able to connect to LTE service here.

I would recommend you to spend a bit more ($250) and get this instead. You will also receive North American warranty: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875220004&cm_re=ASUS_Zenfone_2-_-75-220-004-_-P...

Cheers!

[hasni]

Hi, i want to buy this phone : http://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp_227746.html 

ZTE V5 3 Network:
2G: GSM 900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100MHz
4G: FDD-LTE 1800/2100/2600MHz

i want to know if it's compatible with quebec public mobile please, thank you.